Thursday, February 3, 2011

My New Dressform: Simplicity DF150 (small) aka Yukari

Behold! My new dress form arrived today. She is a Simplicity DF150 in small and I have named her Yukari after the main character from my favorite fashion manga: Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa.

Yukari aka Caroline from the Paradise Kiss manga.

Yukari is an early Valentine's gift from Mister. I purchased her from Amazon at a very agreeable price and I absolutely love her. Yukari is modeling my current work in progress, which is an altered version of Simplicity 5511 made from Liberty of London Marylebone quilting fabric in Meadow Red that I purchased from Fabric.com last September. I was almost finished with this on Monday, but won't have time to attach the straps and bodice until this weekend. Having a full time job and taking care of an almost two year old can put a cramp into my sewing schedule. I usually get to sew on weekends, holidays and sometimes Monday after work. I altered the Simplicity 5511 dress by taking it in two inches at the bodice and four inches at the skirt. This resulted in a modern looking fitted dress. I like the fit at the bodice, but will probably loosen up the skirt for a more gathered look next time I make this.

Coincidentally, Burdastyle began showcasing dresses made from the Liberty of London Marylebone collection this past Wednesday. The fabric is surprisingly soft after you wash it, which isn't the case with most quilting weight cotton fabric. I'm still learning my way around fabric, drape and what type of fabric works best for different types of clothing. I love quilting fabric for their print and color variety. Unfortunately they can be very stiff and/or uncomfortable to wear. Still love them though.

The dress form is very basic with neck, chest, waist, hip and height adjustments. The height adjustment is not very stable and should be used with caution. Also the base is not the most stable, but works for me. Just have to lean it against the wall or something. I can't wait to use Yukari for all my styling and fitting needs. I will keep you updated on how much like her as I progress.

To finish here is another picture of Yukari with Buni.

And a picture of what I'm hoping to start and finish this weekend: Simplicity 8723 circa 1970. This is another retro Jiffy Simplicity shift dress pattern with three main pieces that has a back zipper, square neckline and optional short sleeve. I'm skipping out on the blue broadcloth this type and will probably use one of my fabrics from the Liberty of London Marylebone collection. I am hoping to make the version with the short sleeves. Wish me luck and happy sewing!

About Me

Welcome! This blog is a record of my sewing journey as a Novice Seamstress. Hopefully my blog will help all the novice/beginner seamstresses out there by showing you what not to do, what happens when I think I can sew and the results of my mistakes and triumphs.